<p>We don’t have an alarm in my house. Honestly, if the German Shepherd barking, the pit bull barking, the fact that there are always at least 4 people here, and the fact that our house is very small and surrounded by much bigger, more appealing houses doesn’t deter a thief, I doubt a lock will. </p>
<p>Bunsenburner—if frugaldoctor was referencing particular threats from his practice, I stand corrected. I did not see that asserted by him.</p>
<p>My H worked in dire, crime-filled circumstances, just miles from where we live. I get self-less work, and I will put what he did, and does, up against anyone’s risks.</p>
<p>Several physicians have been victims of home invasions over the past several years here. Some of these crimes have occurred in broad daylight. A popular mode of entry is through the door between the house and garage. The thieves expect most people to leave those doors unlocked. I am not sure if physicians are being targeted. I chose to optimize the security on my property to reduce the risk of being a victim.</p>
<p>Garland, frugaldoctor packs heat, which is decidedly not how I’m ever going to live, so locks and a security system are it. But yes, I’ll open the door during the day to let a breeze in if I’m home, but keep the screen door locked. </p>
<p>We have motion detectors that can be set to home or away (home allows movement on the first floor, away doesn’t). We “close up” the main floor around 9 pm and put the away alarm on. The dog sleeps in our room and isn’t in the habit of wandering downstairs, so if the alarm were to trigger, there’s trouble. </p>
<p>This one is smart -
“GPS Home setting is to the supermarket 3 miles away”</p>
<p>I keep meaning to do something similar. </p>
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If I had to live like that I would move. Cannot understand the attraction of being that scared every day. The more he talks about the security measure he needs to take, the more I’m grateful for the life I have.</p>
<p>“If I had to live like that I would move”</p>
<p>Me, too. </p>
<p>As I was reading his post, all I could think of was he has turned his house into a prison. </p>
<p>My town is chock full of doctors and many are our friends. None of them live like that. </p>
<p>I think frugaldoctor is taking completely appropriate steps to stay safe. I especially like setting the GPS Home to the supermarket, and I especially don’t like the loaded guns. But it’s much much better to be safe than sorry, and I doubt very much these steps impinge on his own pleasure and freedom.</p>
<p>As someone said earlier, there are jobs that might require people to be more concerned about their privacy and safety than others. Defense attorneys. Prosecuting attorneys. Domestic violence counselors. Doctors who perform abortion. Doctors who perform controversial research. </p>
<p>It’s also a mindset. My 84-year-old father in Miami locks the house when he walks down the driveway to the mailbox. And he still uses one of those club things on his car when he parks it. My lax attitude toward safety makes him crazy, but I would never want to live the way he does.</p>
<p>I grew up in a small town where no one ever locked doors. My family even left cars out in the driveway with the keys in the ignition-overnight! But times have changed. There is a lot more crime even in the small towns.</p>
<p>I have lived in suburbia for over 3 decades. Doors are locked at night and the alarm is set. Front door is always locked. Garage doors are kept closed even during the day.</p>
<p>“7. Guns always loaded, locked in fingerprinted gun boxes in every room”</p>
<p>Do you literally mean every room has a gun? </p>
<p>In my experience suburbs–especially those where the houses are pretty far apart, and people come and go through their garages–are some of the most impersonal neighborhoods, and thus seem the least safe. I have always felt safer in places where people see each other coming and going. In my urban-ish neighborhood very few people have garages big enough to fit modern cars, so people park in their driveways or on the street. It’s also a very walkable area, so there are always people passing through. We are all casually aware of each other’s routines and would quickly notice if something was amiss–which increases my sense of security on a day-to-day basis.</p>
<p>My relatives who live out in the country have actually experienced more break-ins that I have in the city. No neighbors around to keep a watch, easy to tell if someone is home or not (no garages, only carports), burglars know that they have lots of guns (easy to pawn). Sometimes having dogs in the yard helps, but one cousin had his dog poisoned. </p>
<p>Also, my mom once experienced a mini-break in while she was home with the doors unlocked. She always keeps the door between the garage and kitchen unlocked. And sometimes opens the garage door because the washer/dryer is in the garage and, in Texas, it gets hot. So, one day she came in from the garage and left her purse on a stool in the kitchen. She went upstairs and, ten minutes later, came down to discover her purse missing. Someone had come in through the garage and saw her purse, grabbed it and ran. In retrospect, we’re glad they saw her purse before they saw her. Unfortunately, that hasn’t made my mom lock her garage door any more (except at night). </p>
<p>Yes, guns in every room of the house. My home would be equally secured no matter where I live. People get very careless when they live in a “safe” neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood where the properties are 1-5 acres and the homes are large. Fortunately, the cost of living is exceptionally low. But like anywhere else, our city has brazen criminals. </p>
<p>It definitely doesn’t feel like a prison to me or my family. I grew up in the inner city and that felt like a prison. We were robbed multiple times and we feared both the crooks and the indifferent NYPD. But my house sends a clear message to the criminals, “pick another house!”</p>
<p>I’ve found folks with greater security than what I have. Some have the iron gated storm doors. They can lock those, open the inner doors, and let the air circulate in the home.</p>
<p>"But my house sends a clear message to the criminals, “pick another house!”</p>
<p>How do the criminals know - outside of the normal “ADT” sign, that your house is a fortress? Do you have a sign saying this homeowner has guns or something? </p>
<p>Not much of a point to lock that inner door to deter theft. Once inside the garage, it is pretty easy to break in without being seen or heard (depending on some other factors of course). I would lock at night if you fear for personal safety. It may give you another minute or two to get your gun.</p>
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<p>This would not feel like a “safe” neighborhood to me (and I’m sure it’s very nice!). I like living close to neighbors and, as I said, having a genuine sense of community. If I lived out in the country or in a suburb on a substantial amount of land, I would likely take more precautions than I feel are necessary for me now.</p>
<p>I lock my doors and have since college, when we went for a run and came back to find that someone had entered the room and emptied our wallets (of the $6 or so we had in there). </p>
<p>I’ve thought about taking additional steps for safety, but beyond alarms, I’m not sure that owning a gun would help me. It could, in the right circumstance, but it would require things to work out correctly for it to be most useful. And it could also get me killed. </p>
<p>I think I’m actually a bit more concerned about someone trying to carjack me. I don’ know anyone who’s had that happen, but the news reports seem to have a number of those incidents.</p>
<p>Back to the locking the doors…while it won’t stop determined burglars using a big hammer, it does deter “convenience” and “opportunity” crimes. In the book about the Dartmouth professor murders, the kids who did the killing made some attempts prior to the crime in other locations, and were deterred by locked doors. It was interesting, because they could have broken in, but in their case they were looking for an element of surprise, and proximity to their intended victims that would be defeated by breaking in. </p>
<p>In our local news some time back, there were reported instances of “second floor” breakins where thieves would target houses that had an isolated backyard, and use a ladder to get to the second floor. From there they used a saber saw to cut through the siding or dormer, and voila! they were inside without having tripped a security sensor. This apparently works because very few second floors are equipped with motion detectors. At that point, they have the run of the second floor and can look through bedrooms for jewelry, etc, and then exit without having to hurry to beat an alarm going off. </p>
<p>“Yes, guns in every room of the house. My home would be equally secured no matter where I live. People get very careless when they live in a “safe” neighborhood. I live in a neighborhood where the properties are 1-5 acres and the homes are large. Fortunately, the cost of living is exceptionally low. But like anywhere else, our city has brazen criminals.”</p>
<p>Since this is a college forum - how will you (or did you) send your kids to college without feeling the need for them to pack their own heat? </p>
<p>And what training do you all have to ensure that you’d be able to defend yourself and not accidentally kill one another? Btw, since James Brady recently passed, do remember that even heavily armed and well trained SEcre Service people weren’t able to prevent 4 people from being shot in the Reagan assassination attempt. And there were armed guards at Columbine. What makes you so cocksure you’ll be able to defend yourself safely? </p>
<p>A lot of fears over personal safety can be alleviated by having a dog. I know it’s not practical or possible for everyone, but I have never felt unsafe since I have had mine. There is no way an intruder would get past the door in my house.</p>